Beautiful Hair
by Akiyotame
Summary: AU. Umi moved into the big city and her hair has gotten quite long. She searches for a cheap hair salon and comes across Minami Styling which is run by a mother and daughter.
1. Chapter 1

It has been a few months since Umi had moved into the new city. Her hair was starting to grow out and it slowly became a tedious task to keep it clean and maintained especially on a hot and humid day like this one. Her hair slowly worked itself from her usual straight hair into a more wavy look. She couldn't say that she hated when her hair got this way, but she would much rather prefer that it'd be straight.

Umi spent the past few days after work online looking for any nearby hair salons that were in her price range. Since she moved in not too long ago, her financial stability has been thrown off. Most of the places she found online would charge more than anyone in her old town would to just cut some hair. In fact, all Umi wanted was to get it trimmed back to her prefered length. However, every place she could find would offer something else with the hair cut just to add to the fee.

"Ugh… I don't want highlights, or hair spray. Just give me a haircut…" Umi cursed under her breath as she continued to surf Boogle Maps for a place. She let out a sigh of frustration and threw herself against the back of her computer chair. She stared at the ceiling while playing with her hair between her fingers.

"Why can't I find a cheap place…?" Umi sighed again and returned to her desk to continue her search.

"Oh?" Umi spotted a small marker on the map, "Minami… Styling?" She tilted her head in confusion, "Lets see... Cheap haircuts for $20… Everything else is optional."

Umi clapped her hands and raised them in celebration, "Finally! I found somewhere to go!"

She looked at her clock, "Oh, I better make an appointment before it's too late" She scrolled through the website and found the salon's phone number. She dialed in the number as quickly and accurately as she could and waited for a voice to ring from the other end.

"H-Hello?" a light voice spoke.

"H-Hi! My name is Sonoda Umi and I would like to make an appointment for a haircut" Umi spoke quickly. She didn't really like talking on phones unless it was with her friends and family.

"Oh? You don't really need to make an appointment with us, we just take people on as they come into the salon." the voice replied back.

"Is that so? Oh… Well then… Umm… I-I'll be there tomorrow then! Goodnight!" Umi hung up the phone in embarrassment. "I should have researched a little bit more…" she jumped onto her bed and relaxed as she sunk into the fluffiness of it. "I guess that's what I get for getting too excited" It didn't take too long for her eyes to grow heavy and eventually fall into deep sleep.

* * *

Umi awoke the next morning due to the blaring alarm from her digital clock. She reached and slid her finger sloppily across the top of it to turn it off before plopping her head back down onto the pillow. She groaned and slowly sat up, facing the headboard and letting out a yawn. Umi rubbed her eyes and got out of her bed slowly. She made her way to the balcony door and grabbed the curtains with her hands. She swung her hands outwards and her room was instantly invaded by the light from the sun.

"What a nice morning..."

She yawned again and made her way to her dresser where she changed into her usual exercise clothing. Umi reached for a hair tie and styled her hair into a ponytail so that she could feel more comfortable. Afterwards, she moved into her small kitchen, opened the fridge and reached inside for a cold water bottle before making her way to the front door to put on her running shoes.

"Alright, a mile or two should be good today!" She spoke to herself before leaving her apartment.

Umi returned an hour later covered in a light layer of sweat and made her way through her apartment, leaving the now empty water bottle in the sink for later. Umi entered her room and went straight for her dresser for a change of clothing. She glanced at her desk clock before leaving the room, "Hmm... I should probably get to that salon soon before they close. I'm sure they close up sooner than usual on a Sunday."

She threw a towel over her shoulder and continued with her usual morning schedule. Umi stepped out of the bathroom 45 minutes later with her hair wrapped in a towel.

"That bath felt great!" She checked the clock again before sitting down at her desk.

"I guess I'll just kill some time on the internet until my hair dries." She spent the rest of her time looking at bows on Gamazon.

"..."

A few bows caught Umi's eyes, however their price ranges were very high. There were some good ones for cheaper prices, but with her current budget she wouldn't be able to get anything even if she did want to. She eventually got carried away with browsing the internet and forgot to check the time, "Oh! I've got to get going!"

She hurriedly shut off her laptop and grabbed her small handbag containing all her essentials such as makeup, her wallet and keys. She pranced out of her apartment and made sure to lock the door as usual before making her way down the steps to the small garage area. She reached into her bag again to pull out another key and made her way to her motor scooter that she had been using to get around. It wasn't a car, but she felt that it was enough to get around in the big city without having to pay a ridiculous amount of money. Plus, she disliked how crowded the trains were compared to her hometown. Umi swung her leg over the scooter and sat on it, reaching for the helmet that was secured to the right handlebar. She put the helmet on and inserted the key, twisting it until the engine began to start up.

"Alright..."

Umi took out the printed directions and fastened it onto a sort of harness that was on the scooter's dashboard. She kicked the scooter off its stand and started driving.

It didn't take as long as she originally thought. It took about 10 minutes for her to reach the hair salon which she still wasn't very used to. Living in a big city has its perks such as these where a lot of shops and restaurants are within close proximity. It would usually take a little longer to reach specific stores back in her hometown. She parked her scooter near the sidewalk and took off her helmet, placing it back on the right handlebar. She kicked down the stand and twisted the key backwards until the engine came to a complete stop.

"Alright, I'm here"

She whispered to herself. She looked through the salon's window to see an older woman currently working with a customer. Her hair was ashened gray and was styled in a rather strange way.

"That little tuft of hair... looks kind of weird"

She gulped and got off her scooter, reluctantly approaching the door. She grabbed the handle and gave it a gentle pull, creating a ringing noise from within the salon. A blast of cool air blew against Umi's face making her hair dance in response as if she were a famous runway model.

"Hello! Welcome to Minami Styling!" The woman greeted.

"Kotori! We have a customer" The woman raised her voice to capture the named person's attention.

"I'm coming, Mom!" A girl rushed through the back door and almost tripped over her own feet.

"Hi! I'm Minami Kotori! I'll be your hairdresser today" Kotori smiled and pointed towards an empty chair. Umi nodded slightly and took a seat.

"May I have your name please?" Kotori said while wrapping a cover around Umi's neck.

"... Sonoda Umi" She replied.

"Oh! You're the one that called last night. I thought that you weren't going to come because you hung up so quickly like you were embarrassed or something"

"Y-yeah... right, sorry about that" Umi blushed.

"So..." Kotori spun Umi around to face the mirror,

"How would you like your hair cut today?" Kotori played around with Umi's bangs a bit.

"Just a trim is fine, a couple inches maybe" She answered.

"Roger that!" Kotori spun her around again and grabbed a comb, scissors and examined Umi's hair.

"Your hair is so beautiful..." She whispered unconsciously.

"What was that?" Umi wasn't able to make out what she had said.

"Oh! I-it's nothing, I was just thinking about how long your hair was" Kotori lied a little, but she saw it more as a half truth. She really did think that Umi's long hair was pretty.

"It's not that long... is it?" Umi began to feel self conscious about it.

"No, no its fine." Kotori began cutting Umi's hair. She would comb through gently to release any knots or snags before running it through her own fingers. She brushed her fingers downwards towards the ends of Umi's hair before using her small scissors to cut off small portions of it. Kotori would repeat this process time and time again.

"So... Miss Umi, are you new around these parts?" Kotori broke the silence.

"Yeah, I moved into an apartment a few months back. I've been so busy." She replied back.

"Where did you move from exactly?"

"That's a little complicated. I lived between the borders of three cities, Akihabara, Kanda and Jinbo. The reason was because I went to a school named Otonokizaka."

Kotori paused for a moment, "No way! You went to Otonokizaka? I did too!"

"R-really? When did you graduate?"

"Just a few years ago, I think in 2012"

"I graduated the same year!"

"No way, you're lying Umi- Ah sorry, Miss Umi"

"J-Just Umi is fine"

"Okay then, Umi!"

Kotori began cutting Umi's hair again as they talked about their stories at Otonokizaka. They talked about teachers they liked and disliked, old classmates, it was odd that the two had never met during their 3 years at the same school.

"That's so cool! I've always wanted to try Archery but I couldn't even pull the string back. You must be really strong, Umi." Kotori playfully squeezed on Umi's arm, "Oh. Solid."

Umi blushed, "I-I'm not that strong... A-Anyways, what club were you in, Kotori?"

"Me? Well I couldn't really find anything so I joined the Drama club."

"I see, were you an actor then?"

"Oh no, I can't act very well. I joined it to be part of the costume design group. I really like making cute outfits and doing other people's hair."

"That's interesting, I would love to see some of those outfits someday."

"Do you have any plans for today? Maybe we can go out for some tea and I can show you what I've been working on lately"

Umi thought about her offer for a minute. This was the first time that she had been invited to do anything since moving into the city. It was strange, she had been surrounded by coworkers for the past few months but was never asked to go out to lunch or anything. However, here she was getting invited to some tea from some woman she just met an hour ago.

"S-sure, no one's ever invited me to go out somewhere since moving here so..."

"Really? But you seem like such a fun and likeable girl, Umi"

Umi laughed a bit awkwardly and changed the subject to avoid embarrassing herself further, "S-so where would we go? I'm still not 100% familiar with the area"

"Well there's a nice tea shop about a mile or two from here run by... I think the Toujou family"

"Oh, I see"

Kotori continued cutting Umi's hair and played around with different styles and different products.

"Aaaaaand we're done!"

Kotori cheered as she turned Umi to face the mirror again. She gestured Umi to stand up and inspect her work.

"This..."

"I hope you like it"

Umi stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair wasn't long anymore just as she wanted. However, her hair was much shorter than she had desired. It was barely reaching shoulder length and was a bit wavy.

"Y-you don't like it...?" Kotori sounded depressed.

"N-no it's just... It's much shorter than I expected" Umi tried to keep calm from this sudden change. She had requested for a few inches to be trimmed off but instead, her hair ended up becoming something completely different.

"I'm so sorry, Umi. I just thought that... Maybe you would look really cute with short hair. Oh! And the weather has been really hot lately so I thought having shorter hair would help... you know, cool you off too"

Umi listened to the panicked ramblings coming from Kotori. She felt bad that someone was apologizing this much for something that they thought would help her. Umi psyched herself up and pumped her chest out, turning around to face Kotori.

"It's okay, Kotori. I think you did a really good job with my hair... it's just... I have to get used to it being all short and wavy"

"Are you sure? You're not mad about it?"

"Maybe just a little, but... how about this. Since you cut my hair so short, you have to take me to the tea place AND pay for what I get, sound like a deal?" Umi offered her hand out to Kotori who in return shook it and smiled.

"Deal!" The two shared a brief laugh before things quieted down.

"Oh, we'll be closing in about an hour so... if you want, you can just relax in the salon or just walk around the area until then"

"Why don't you show her around?" The older woman said.

"Are you sure Mom? What about the salon?"

Kotori's mom waved her hands in a way that signaled for the two to get out of the salon, "There's barely any customers today and I can handle it myself. Go out and enjoy your time with your new friend."

Kotori released an excited gasp and clapped her hands together, "Thank you, Mom! Let me go get my purse"

Kotori sped through the back door and appeared again in a few minutes, "Okay, follow me, Umi."

Kotori grabbed Umi's hand and pulled her outside of the salon. Umi blushed and quickly pulled her hand away from Kotori's as soon as they got out.

"Ahh, sorry" Kotori apologized and gestured Umi to follow her.

"Okay, so over here we have Kousaka Bakery, over there we have Nishikino Pharmaceuticals." Kotori moved her pointed finger to the other side of the street, "And over there is the Hoshizora's Nyamazing Gym. Don't ask me how they got that name. And next to it is Koizumi Farms. They provide a lot of rice for the city."

Kotori pointed a little further down the street, "And finally we have the Ayase Dance Academy and the Yazawa Karaoke Bar."

Kotori turned back towards Umi, "That's about it for this street. The tea place we're going to, "Toujou Leaf" is on a different street but it's worth the extra time to get to it."

The two started walking and window shopped around the street for an hour before returning to the salon.

* * *

"You can wait out here, I just have to close up the salon and then we can be on our way"

Umi nodded and waited by her scooter. She watched as Kotori reached into her purse to bring out a small key ring that adorned a few keys and some cute keychains. She slid the key in and locked the door with ease. She quickly turned around and skipped over to Umi's scooter.

"Is this yours?" She asked. Umi nodded and reached into her bag for the keys. She turned on the engine and took a seat.

"Umm..." She looked down at her scooter before realizing that something was wrong.

"How am I supposed to fit?" Kotori questioned.

"D-don't worry, um..." Umi scooched herself forward so that there was barely enough room for Kotori to sit on it.

"Can you fit?"

Kotori approached the scooter cautiously and swung her leg over the scooter, slowly lowering herself onto the half occupied seat, "B-barely, my butt is kind of hanging off"

Umi sighed and took a deep breath. A thought raced through her head and instantly, she began to blush. She reached for her helmet and handed it to Kotori, "Here's a helmet to keep you safe" Kotori gasped and put the helmet on.

"J-just hold on tightly to me until we get there" Kotori nodded and hugged herself tightly against Umi's back. She felt her arms brush up against Umi's lean and slender body, she was easy to hold and it sort of felt good too. Umi on the other hand felt a fairly soft and warm sensation against her back.

"Y-you're holding on too tightly, Kotori" Umi blushed and started to drive. Kotori only held Umi tighter in response.

"I don't want to fall off though"

Umi tried her hardest to contain herself until they reached the tea place. The two arrived 10 minutes later and parked at a nearby parking garage, "O-okay we're here... I think... you can let go now"

She felt the small arms slowly unwrap from her abdomen and waited until the girl was entirely off the scooter before turning off the engine. Kotori took off the helmet and shook her head to fix her helmet hair before returning it to Umi.

"That was fun! I'd love to go on a ride with you again someday"

She said with a smile. Umi blushed and looked away after grabbing the helmet and placing it where she normally does. She cleared her throat, "L-lets get to the shop"

Umi stood up and started walking off without Kotori. She gasped a bit in response but quickly caught up. She followed her until they reached the entrance of Toujou Leaf. Umi walked up the steps and pulled the front door, signaling Kotori to walk in, "After you"

"My my, you're such a gentleman, Umi"

Kotori teased before walking in. Umi followed as soon as Kotori entered the store. The tea place gave off a very strange but relaxing atmosphere. There was soft background music playing and the store looked more like someone's custom coffee shop. There were small tables surrounded by bean bag chairs, low rise couches and single chairs that you normally wouldn't expect in a tea shop. Kotori pranced over to one of the tables surrounded by bean bag chairs and plopped herself down on it. She slowly sunk into the chair and Umi couldn't help but giggle at the sight. She followed and did the same thing with the chair next to Kotori's. The two giggled at each other until they couldn't sink any further into their chairs.

"Hi! Welcome to Toujou Leaf, my name is Toujou Nozomi and I will be your hostess for the evening"

A girl walked up and greeted them. She seemed to be a bit older than the two. She had purple hair and it was braided to the side which gave off a motherly aura. The two girls greeted Nozomi in return.

"So what can I get the lovely couple today?" She asked.

"O-oh, we aren't a couple, we're just-"

"Yes, we would like to have a pot of your green tea with a side of Manju"

Kotori cut Umi off. Umi's attention entirely switched over after she heard 'manju'. It was Umi's favorite snack and she would almost do anything within the legal boundaries to get some. Umi nervously stretched her hand out and tugged on Kotori's shirt.

"C-Can we get... extra manju?"

Kotori smiled and nodded, "Make that extra manju please"

Nozomi smiled back and clicked her pen, "I'll be back in a couple of minutes with your order"

She disappeared through the back door and the two girls attempted to turn towards each other to talk some more. The two held a conversation for several minutes before Nozomi returned with a tray in her hands containing what Kotori had ordered for them.

"Okay, here's the manju"

She set down a plate of the snack in front of each girl. She then placed two tea cups in front of them. The two girls watched as Nozomi raised the tea gently and poured it into their cups. It looks simple since anyone can pour tea, but something about how Nozomi poured the tea made them feel very relaxed and somewhat special.

"Please enjoy the tea and snacks"

She bowed and returned to her usual routine in the shop. The two girls looked at each other and smiled before reaching for their manju. Kotori took a small bite of the manju, making sure to chew it thoroughly to savor the taste of it. Umi on the other hand was taking much larger bites while trying to keep her usual composure, it was a rather clumsy performance on her part and Kotori couldn't help but giggle a bit.

"You must really love manju, Umi"

Umi jumped a little once she heard Kotori's words and blushed a bit before nodding. Kotori giggling at her started to make her feel a little self conscious so she started eating the snacks at a slower pace, making sure to remember the tea as well.

"Oh! That's right! I almost forgot" Kotori scrambled for something in her bag and pulled out a sketchbook.

"Here are some designs I've been working on lately"

Kotori set the book in front of them and opened it to a bookmarked page. On it was a dress design that looked like it belonged on a high end fashion magazine. The dress was a dark navy blue and had a slit near the bottom to show off some leg. She decorated the rest of the figure's body with a few bangles on the right wrist, and the figure had a few necklaces with a big pearl necklace to capture the eye.

"Wow, this looks really pretty, Kotori" Umi added. She shook her head in response.

"I have a problem though, I have everything made, but the dress is for someone who's slim so I can't exactly try it on"

Umi moved back a bit with a confused look on her face while observing Kotori. She wasn't particularly fat, she couldn't be that much bigger than Umi so it shouldn't have been a problem.

"A-anyways, I have to try to find someone to try it on eventually so that I can feel more confident about the design"

Umi nodded in response.

"I suppose you're right. Sometimes things on paper don't look the same in person"

Kotori nodded back and returned to eating and drinking again. The two talked and laughed over their memories back in high school for the rest of their stay. They left money to pay the bill and waved to Nozomi as they left the tea shop with smiles on their faces. On the way back, they had small conversations, but nothing too major since Kotori's life was in potential danger when on the scooter. But they made it back to the salon with no problems and/or death. Kotori got off the back of the scooter and handed Umi the helmet.

"That was a lot of fun, Umi"

She took the helmet out of her hands and placed it on her lap, "Yeah, it was. I'm... kind of glad you asked me. It's been so long since I've went out with a friend, it feels nice"

Kotori gave a small nod and smiled. She let out a small squeak and quickly reached into her purse, "Umi, let me get your phone number so we can stay in contact!"

Kotori quickly pulled out a cute notebook and waited for Umi to pull out a phone or something. Umi just sat in her seat a bit motionless before speaking up.

"... Well... here's the story. I'm still getting used to living in the city and I'm not exactly financially stable yet"

"So in other words, you don't have a cell phone?" Kotori finished Umi's sentence and she nodded.

"I do have a home phone and a laptop back at my apartment though, if that would work"

"Wait, you have a laptop but not a cell phone?" Kotori was starting to think that Umi might not have wanted her number.

"Oh no, no. It's technically not mine, I'm borrowing it from my mother until I can get my own. She let me borrow it because my work requires me to have one"

"Oh, I see... but wouldn't your work need like a cell phone number to reach you at any time?"

"I'm almost always at my apartment if I'm not at work so they just call the home phone or send me an email"

Umi's words came with a little bit of sadness. Does she really have no friends in the city to be with? That question raced around her head. Kotori quickly made up her mind and stared back at Umi.

"Can I have your home number, at least" Kotori held out a notebook and Umi nodded in return, taking the notebook out of Kotori's hand and writing in her number.

"Thank you" Kotori smiled.

"Oh, since you have a laptop, do you have any social media that we can chat through? Like Clucker, Spacebook, or Crumblr?"

"Uh... w-what are those?" Umi looked completely confused and Kotori let out an awkward laugh.

"T-that's okay, I'll just call you and maybe I can help you set one up later"

"Alright then... Talk to you later then"

Umi put on the helmet and drove away on her scooter. She looked at the side mirrors to see Kotori waving her goodbye and she raised her hand to wave back. Her helmet smelled different, it was a very sweet smell. Maybe vanilla and some sort of lavender or cherry blossom. It must have been from when Kotori wore the helmet. She couldn't exactly smell her hair when they were together since they kept a certain distance from each other. But this unexpected surprise was something nice for a change. For once in her few months in the city, Umi actually felt relaxed.

* * *

Umi arrived home late and went to turn on her laptop, "I wonder when Kotori will call..."

She looked back at the home phone standing on a lone drawer. She couldn't help but keep looking back at it every 10 or so minutes while she browsed the internet. She was eager but at the same time nervous for Kotori's call. The phone rang and she quickly got out of her seat and almost tripped on the way to the phone. She grabbed and brought the phone to her ear.

"Oh good, I thought you weren't going to call me" She spoke first.

"Of course, why wouldn't I call my own daughter to check up on her?"

Umi covered her mouth quickly and screamed internally. She had almost forgotten that her mother calls every Sunday to check up on her.

"H-hello, mother" She replied back.

"Oh? Why did you change your voice just now?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you picked up the phone, you sounded so excited. But now that you know it's me, you went back to your usual voice."

"I-I don't get what you're saying"

"Could it be that my daughter finally got a boyfriend and was waiting eagerly for him to call her?"

Umi let out a disgusted noise, "Of course not, Mother! You know I don't... that I don't really like romance. It's so shameful."

Her mother laughed gently before continuing, "I know, I know. I was just teasing you. But you were waiting for a call, weren't you?"

"I... Yeah, a friend"

"Ooo~ Care to tell me about this new friend?"

"Yeah sure, she's..." Umi walked over to her bed and sat down, leaning against the wall with a pillow in her lap as she told her mother about Kotori.

"Okay, it's about time for your old woman to hang up now. I had a wonderful time hearing about your new friend. I'm happy to hear that you're doing well over in the big city"

"Thanks, Mother. Tell Father that I said Hi"

"Okay, I'll tell him before we go to bed. Anyways, it's time to go now, I love you and stay safe"

"I love you too, Mother"

Umi waited until her mother hung up and placed the phone back on the charging stand. It was almost 9 and Kotori still hasn't called. She moved over to the kitchen to get herself a snack and a drink. She spent the last hour talking with her mother and her throat had gotten a little dry. She opened the fridge and reached in for a bottle of water. A ringing suddenly erupted within the apartment and Umi jumped in reaction, hitting her head against the top of the fridge.

"Oww!"

She pulled her head out of the fridge and closed it. She rubbed her head to help ease the pain while walking over to the phone.

"Hello?! Is this U-Umi" A light voice said.

"Um... yes? This is Sonoda Umi"

She heard a small gasp and a deep breath from the other end, "I finally got you. It's me, Kotori"

"Kotori? You're calling pretty late" Umi tried to play off her own excitement.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I accidentally kept dialing in the wrong number. Your eights kind of look like sixes and I couldn't tell if they were ones or sevens"

"O-oh, I'm sorry about that."

"There's no need to apologize, at least I got the right number now"

Umi smiled at Kotori's optimism.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Umi asked.

"Oh yes. We should set up something so that we could talk online. Is your laptop nearby?"

Umi walked over to her desk and touched the trackpad to get her laptop off sleep mode, "Yeah, I'm on it"

"Okay... hmm, what should we make you?"

"I guess we could go with whatever you use the most?"

"Ahh! That's a great idea, Umi. Open up Boogle Dome and type in signup" Umi followed Kotori's instructions and waited for the next steps.

"Okay, now enter your email, password and all of that"

"Okay then... Name... Sonoda Umi...Gender... Female... Age... 20... email… sonodaumi ... password... lovearrowshoot…"

She heard a small giggle from the other end, "Pfft… Umi, your password is so cute"

Umi released a surprised gasped and her face heated up instantly, "D-don't tell anyone... Please..."

Kotori giggled again, "Don't worry, I would never do something like that to you"

Umi let out a sigh of relief and finished the sign up.

"Okay, you should be getting an email to confirm and just click the link and you're done."

Umi navigated to her bmail inbox and followed Kotori's instructions, "Okay, its done... I think"

"Perfect! Let me find you really quick and add you. I want to be your first friend on here" Kotori said gleefully. Soon enough, Umi noticed the notification bubble and clicked it. It led her to a friend request page where she saw Kotori's name which she accepted.

"Okay~ That should be it"

"Thanks for walking me through it, Kotori"

"Its no problem at all. Now we can talk with each other when you have time during work or something since you can't take your home phone with you"

"Where do you work anyways, Umi?" She continued.

"I work for this company called Tsubasa Records. They produce music and all that"

"Oh, so you make music then?"

"No, nothing like that. I'm really just doing the grunt work there. You know getting drinks for people, or finishing up paperwork for them"

"Oh... that doesn't sound too fun"

"Yeah, I know. But it was the only job I could get here on short notice"

"Is the pay any good at least"

"Its... manageable. I get paid more than minimum wage, but it's only like a couple hundred yen more"

"I see... Do you mind if we change the subject?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"Well I wanted to get to know you some more, Umi"

Umi shut off her laptop and went to sit on her bed. The two girls talked to each other way past Umi's regular sleeping schedule. She yawned and looked at the wall clock.

"Okay, Kotori. I have to get to sleep for work"

"O-oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't even notice how late it was"

"Its okay. I had fun talking to you"

"Mhmm. Well goodnight, Umi. I hope we can talk again tomorrow"

"I hope so too. Goodnight, Kotori"

Umi moved the phone away from her ear and ended the call. She let out a big yawn and rubbed her eyes before getting up to put away the phone. Afterwards, she moved to her closet and grabbed her sleepwear before passing out in the softness of her bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Umi went to work the next day and carried out her usual duties. She helped bring snacks and drinks for the ones working and helped the office staff clean up some paperwork. By now, this whole job had become routine for Umi and it didn't really bother her as much as it used to. Every now and then, a music artist would say some snarky remark, but Umi didn't really care.

"Sonoda? May you please bring snacks and tea to studio room A?"

Umi heard over the intercom as it was repeated again. She sighed a little and made her way to the break room where she opened a cupboard for a serving tray. She aligned sweet and salty snacks with a pot of green tea in the middle. She picked up the plate, made her way to studio room A and knocked on the door with her foot until someone came to open it for her.

"Hi, I was told to bring you guys some snacks and drinks."

The man stepped to the side and held the door open and Umi took a step in. On the couches were studio mixers and the music artist discussing their progress. They were most likely taking a break from recording,

"Oh, the snacks are here!"

Umi nodded and placed them on the table before bowing to take her leave.

"Wait! Why don't you have a seat and join us?"

Umi turned around to face the source of the voice. She had brown hair and green eyes. The girl pat her hand against the empty space next to her and beckoned Umi to take a seat. She reluctantly made her way over to the couch making sure to avoiding eye contact with anybody since she felt like she was intruding. She took a seat on the empty space next to the girl who turned to face her when Umi made contact with the couch, "Hi! My name is Kira Tsubasa, an up–and–coming jazz vocalist. May I have your name?"

"It's Sonoda Umi, ma'am," she replied quietly.

"Ma'am? There's no need to be formal with me, you can just call me Tsubasa."

Umi's eyes wandered over to the studio mixers who seemed to look fairly nervous, "Okay then... Tsubasa."

Tsubasa clapped her hands together, "I've seen you running around the studio for the past few months; great haircut by the way. What do you do around here, Umi?"

Tsubasa spoke too quickly for Umi to grasp immediately "T-Thank you, I kind of just float around and help anyone who needs me. It's mostly just snack and drink duty though."

"Oh that's no fun," Tsubasa made a disconcerting face, "I mean... you work for a record label. Shouldn't they have given you something better than a grunt?"

"Well it was the best they could give me on short notice." she replied with a disheartened voice.

"Do you like doing it?" Tsubasa's tone became serious.

Umi hesitated before answering since she was in front of other co-workers, "W-well... it's not the best job but..."

"Give me a straight answer."

Umi flinched before answering again, "I wish it were better. So I suppose that's a no..."

Tsubasa leaned back against the couch and brought her hand up to her chin to think. Umi avoided looking at her co-workers by staring at her lap until an opportunity to leave arises. Tsubasa snapped her finger and sat back up while pointing at one of the studio mixers, "You! I demand you find a better job for this woman."

The man's jaw dropped, "W-what? But Miss, she doesn't have any type of experience to do these 'better' jobs."

Another man stood up to support the other, "Yeah and with all due respect, miss, but we don't have that many open positions to just give away."

"He's right. With all our current projects we wouldn't be able to finish in time with the mistakes that are bound to happen," another one added.

Tsubasa glared at the group, "Watch your tongues… Do I have to remind you what this record label is named?"

The men paused, "…Tsubasa Records…"

"Then it would be wise for you bunch to listen to me."

"But miss!" they protested.

"Must I get Father on the phone?" Tsubasa threatened.

The men froze in fear and held their tongues. Umi scooted back a bit from the commotion in front of her. She had seen Tsubasa in recording booths before but she never really knew exactly who she was.

"N-No, ma'am. We're just saying that she doesn't fit the needs for most of the jobs here."

Tsubasa sighed, "Whatever."

She turned to face Umi, "Hey, how about you come and intern with me? I'll pay you more than what they're probably paying you here."

"O-oh. That's really kind of you but..." Umi was ready to turn her down.

"How does 2500 yen an hour sound to you?" she offered.

Umi almost choked on her saliva after hearing Tsubasa's offer. She was getting paid 1100 yen an hour and this raise would actually get her right out of her financial instability. She could finally get a cellphone so she could talk with Kotori more conveniently as well as get her own laptop if she saved up.

"That sounds... amazing, but what would I have to do?" Umi broke out of her small daydream.

"I'll show you around the studio, show you the tips and tricks and maybe you might even be working with me from time to time," Tsubasa listed.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Umi replied happily.

"Don't worry, I'll show you the fun side of working in the music industry," Tsubasa held out her hand and the two girls shook to confirm the new deal. Tsubasa stood up and faced the other occupants of the room, "Now the first order of business is that I don't want any of you taking Umi away from me, is that clear?"

They nodded their heads in unison, "And make sure to tell everyone else that Umi is under my care and supervision" They nodded again before giving Umi a flash of animosity. Umi flinched a bit from their glares before taking a deep breath.

"Okay, Umi. Let's see... I think I'll have you try to think of some lyrics to start off," Tsubasa looked at the head producer and nodded her head towards the mixing console, "Play what we have so far"

He got up and reluctantly made his way to the seat. He pressed play and music began to play. Umi listened intently to the song. It had a slight jazz feel to it, but it played alongside a ballad kind of like the music that you would hear at a music bar or lounge. A mix of brass instruments played alongside a single piano. They were accompanied by perhaps an electric or acoustic bass as well as a light drumming in the back. Together they created perhaps a song about loneliness or lost love; that was what Umi felt from hearing it.

"A-are you sure that I should be writing lyrics?" Umi questioned.

"Yeah, why not?" Tsubasa replied bluntly.

"Well... I'm not too particularly good at it," said Umi.

"Neither am I, that's why it's better for me to get someone else to do it. Besides, you look like the type of girl that would enjoy writing some poetry so why not give it a shot?" Tsubasa raised her hand to flash Umi a thumbs up sign.

Umi nodded reluctantly, "I-I guess I can... May you email me the song so I could come up with something when I'm at home?"

Tsubasa nodded, "Yeah, sure. Would sending you home now give you a good start?"

"W-what? Now? But how will I get paid if I'm not here?" Umi was confused.

Tsubasa laughed in response, "You work for me now, I'll pay you regardless if you're here or not as long as you're working"

"O-oh, well I'll be taking my leave then," Umi bowed and turned to leave.

"Wait, hold on. Do you have a phone number or something so that I can contact you?" Tsubasa got up and stopped Umi from leaving.

"Umm... I have a home phone… and a Clucker," it felt weird for Umi to say that last bit.

"Oh you have a Clucker? That's great! Make sure you remember to add me okay? Oh and write your number down here," Umi grabbed the notebook and pen from Tsubasa and wrote down her number. She bowed again and waved before leaving the studio room. She headed towards her assigned locker and brought out her laptop to check for any messages she may have missed during work. There was nothing in her bmail inbox but she did spot a notification on Clucker. She curiously clicked on it and a message window popped up,

"Hey Umi! I hope you're having a good day at work. I'm bored sitting here in the salon since we don't get that many customers on Mondays. Anyways, just thought that I could leave you a message and hope that we could talk some more later today.

\- Kotori "

Umi smiled and clicked the reply button.

"Dear Kotori, I'm on my way home from work. I'm off early because I've just been hired by Kira Tsubasa as an intern. Apparently she's the daughter of the man who owns the place and she's sending me home to write some lyrics for this song. I'll speak to you soon when I get home.

\- Umi"

She shut her laptop and put it away in her bag before grabbing the scooter keys. She made her way to the parking lot and headed for home.

* * *

Umi arrived after a 30 minute drive and tossed her keys onto the counter. She changed out of her work clothes into something more comfortable before signing onto her laptop again. She spotted an email with an attachment and downloaded it before going onto Clucker. This time there were two notifications, a message from Kotori and a friend request from Tsubasa.

"I guess Tsubasa couldn't wait for me to get home," She let out a small chuckle and accepted the request before turning her attention back to Kotori. She clicked on the notification and the same message window popped up,

"Umi! That's wonderful, just send me a chat when you get home"

Umi smiled again and started typing.

"Hey, I'm home, Kotori" Umi waited a few seconds before a small message saying, "Kotori is typing..." appeared.

"Welcome home, Umi!"

"Thank you."

"Can I call you now?"

"Yeah sure," she waited a few seconds before her phone started ringing.

"Hi Umi!" Kotori's energetic voice rung out.

"Hello Kotori" Umi replied back.

"Congratulations on your new job!"

"Thanks, things should be getting better really soon"

Kotori made a noise that sounded like she vaguely agreed, "So you have to write lyrics huh? Can I help?"

"Sure just give me a second to play you the song," Umi walked back to her laptop and clicked on the mp3 file. The song started playing and Kotori listened to it silently from the other end until it finished. She let out a slight moan to help signify that she was in deep thought.

"Hmm... maybe a really sad love song?" She suggested. Umi shook her head in response.

"That's what I thought at first but if I'm going to be keeping this job, I better try something that stands out. Not love but maybe a song about self?"

"What do you mean?" Kotori asked.

"Well... I guess like... Have you ever felt so powerless against what is going on in life? Or have you ever had some sort of really depressing revelation? That's what I think would make this song stand out more,"

"Oh gosh, that sounds really... hard, Umi" she said depressingly.

"I know, but I have to try. Plus if I do a good job, I'll be able to get a cell phone in no time." Umi tried to keep their spirits up.

"Ooo~ Take me with you when you decide to go shopping for one!" the girl instantly bounced back.

"Y-yeah, sure" Umi replied hesitantly.

Kotori let out a squeal, "Really? Do you promise?"

Umi's phone started to beep and she pulled it away from her ear. There was an incoming call from an unrecognized number, "Could you hold on a second, Kotori? I have another call coming in."

"Oh! Sure, no problem!" Kotori replied.

"I'll be back as fast as I can," Umi reassured. She pressed the button sequence to put Kotori on hold and answered the other call, "Hello, this is Sonoda Umi speaking."

"Umi? I'm glad I was able to get through. It's me, Tsubasa." her voice rung in Umi's ear.

"Oh hello, Tsubasa. Why are you calling? Do you need something?" Umi was hurrying to get back to Kotori.

"Ehhh nothing in particular. Just checking up on you and I also want to hear your lovely voice," she said in a teasing voice.

"Y-you're too flattering, Tsubasa," Umi blushed.

"It just occured to me that during our time together in the studio room you have a nice speaking voice, I wondered if you have a great singing voice too," Umi couldn't tell if Tsubasa was trying to play a joke on her or if she actually meant it.

"I... don't really sing, Tsubasa," was all she could reply with.

"Really? Not even like... in the shower? Or in the car?" Tsubasa sounded surprised.

"No, not really," Umi tried to keep her answers short.

"How about singing something for me right now then?" Tsubasa suddenly proposed.

"E-ehh?! No way! You can't just request something like that from me so suddenly!" she refused with a yell.

Tsubasa clicked her tongue and snapped her finger, "Well, it was worth a shot."

Umi took a deep breath, "Is that all? I was in the middle of another call if you don't mind"

"Ooo~ who is it? Your boyfriend?" she started teasing again.

"N-no! Of course not! I... I'm not interested in romance at the moment," Umi replied with a quiet voice.

"Is that so...?" Tsubasa whispered to herself, "Listen, Umi. I'm going to have you stay and work at home for the rest of the week. I want those lyrics to the song by Monday, you got it?"

"Y-yes ma'am," Umi said unconsciously.

"Tsubasa!" she yelled.

"Yes, Tsubasa!" Umi yelled back embarrassingly.

Umi heard a giggle from the other end, "Alright~ I'll let you get back to your boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever."

"I told you tha-" Tsubasa hung up the phone too quickly before Umi could finish arguing back. She let out an aggravated sigh and switched the call back to Kotori.

"I'm sorry about that, it was a call from my my boss," Umi said in an exhausting way.

"Its no problem, what did they want with you?" Kotori questioned back.

"Just some job details. She said I needed to have the lyrics done by next Monday and that I can stay home from work to do it"

"That's awfully nice of her"

Umi nodded to herself, "She's a strange girl. Very friendly, but strange"

Kotori laughed a bit.

"Anyways, I should get to work on these lyrics. Call me if you come up with something yourself"

"Okay! I'll try my best to help!"

Umi hung up the phone and made her way back to her laptop. She opened up a word document and plugged in her headphones. The song was put on repeat while Umi thought on the lyrics. She tapped her finger against the side of the laptop for hours while staring at the blank document. She had her headphones out for a while now after it started to hurt her ears. Her head was drawing a blank, Umi had completely underestimated lyricists. This was a hard task. Anything that she had written down ended up being deleted because of her own embarrassment. She was afraid of sounding too cheesy, preachy or like a grade schooler writing a song for their parents. The tapping grew louder as Umi's anger at herself began to boil. Her slow growing rage was suddenly interrupted when her phone started to ring.

"Hello... This is Umi," She said bitterly.

"U-Umi? Are you okay?" It was Kotori.

"Kotori?" Umi cleared her throat, "Yeah... Sorry about that. Writing lyrics is harder than I thought."

"You can say that again. It took me until now to come up with something."

"You already finished?"

"Kind of, do you want to hear?" Kotori offered.

"Yeah sure!"

Kotori cleared her throat.

"I've been alone for some time now,

I've lost all but myself,

And yet, here I am standing strong.

The friends I once had,

The family that I had left behind,

I grew up well and yet,

Why do I feel like I haven't moved on?

I used to love and hate,

I used to laugh and cry,

But now I see that I've become someone else

I'm no longer the girl that I used to be

What happened to that girl, that I once was?

Where is that girl that used to be me?"

Umi let out a quiet gasp, "Kotori... I didn't know you were such a lyricist. Maybe we should trade jobs!"

Umi laughed awkwardly. Kotori laughed the same way in return, "You're being too flattering, Umi."

"No really, that was wonderful. I can usually write something since I used to do a lot of poetry when I was younger but nothing would come out."

"Well it was to help you, so I tried my hardest," she said earnestly.

"Thank you so much, Kotori. But are you sure that I can use these?" Umi felt a little uncomfortable about it.

"Yeah, its for you anyways!"

"Thank you again, Kotori!"

"It's no problem at all"

Umi laughed a little, "Okay, can you go through the lyrics one more time really slowly so I can type them onto my laptop?"

Kotori nodded and repeated her lyrics slowly for Umi. She listened in closely to Umi's steady breathing and almost perfect keystroke pace until the last keystroke was heard. Umi let out a sigh of relief and took a hold of the phone.

"Now that we finished that, I have free time until next Monday," Umi stretched and let out a satisfied groan.

"Oh, Umi! Since you have free time, do you mind coming down to the hair salon any time soon?" Kotori asked.

"Hmm, how soon do you want me over there?" she replied back with another question.

"Any time you're feeling up to it, I suppose," Kotori threw back a half hearted response.

"Do you mind telling me why you need me there?"

"Nu-uh, it's a secret~" Kotori teased.

"C-Come on, Kotori…"

"Nope, I'm not telling you just because you're Umi." she continued to tease her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Umi objected.

"Nothing at all~ I'll see you sometime soon then~" Kotori hung up the phone abruptly and left Umi with a confused expression. She shrugged it off and went to take a bath before going to bed. She looked forward to the rest of her week, she hasn't had time off like this ever since she moved here. She took her bath and laid into the comforts of her bed.

* * *

Umi spent the next few days carrying out her usual morning routine of exercising and bathing. Afterwards, she would laze around in her apartment by going through the internet looking through Gamazon and exploring Clucker some more,

"Oh! I remember her from high school... Would it be weird if I just added her randomly?" she hesitated as her cursor hovered over the "add friend" button. Ultimately, she decided not to and navigated away from the suggested friends page. She spent a lot of her time customizing her new Clucker profile. She made her profile picture the same one as her work ID and she placed a bunch of archery photos for a background and header.

"... I really need more photos..." She leaned back against her chair and inspected her profile page. It felt way too standard. In fact, her work ID photo looked way too serious for her own good.

"... I'll ask Mother to send over some old pictures of me, I guess," She sighed and sat back up to sign off of Clucker.

"I wonder what Kotori is up to..." Umi leaned back on her chair again and stared at the ceiling. It was Thursday now and she still had the rest of the week off. She rolled herself in her chair over to the phone,

"I guess I should go visit her"

She reached for the phone but pulled her hand back, "... if Kotori has a surprise for me... then it's only fair that I get to surprise her, right?"

Umi giggled to herself and got up to get her handbag and keys before heading for the hair salon.

Kotori spent the past few days holed up in her bedroom because she had been redesigning her dress over and over again. She looked over at the flier that stated that they were looking for new fashion designers and that the deadline was next Monday. Upon seeing this flier her head went into autopilot mode and she had been stuck in a sea of fabrics at her sewing station. She needed Umi to come in and be her model, but she still hasn't called back. Kotori heard a knock on the door,

"Kotori? It's mommy, you have a visitor," her mother called through the door.

"A-ahh! Coming~" Kotori scrambled from her seat and tripped over some trashed fabric, most likely silk or polyester. She let out a screech as she tumbled onto the ground.

"Kotori?!" Her mother's voice rang from behind the door before it was forcibly opened. She ran over to Kotori and helped her up, "Are you okay?!"

Kotori stood up and brushed herself, "I-I'm fine Mom. I just slipped on something again..." Kotori turned around and picked up the fabric that caused her to fall, "I knew it was silk..." She tossed it towards the trash and looked up to see a concerned Umi, "U-Umi?! I-I didn't know you were visiting?"

Umi rubbed the back of her head and blushed slightly, "I... wanted to surprise you, so... surprise?"

Kotori laughed nervously and walked towards her, "Don't mind the mess, I was just working on the dress I showed you last Sunday."

She nodded in response and looked over Kotori's shoulder, "That's a lot of fabric you have in there. Do you really need all of that for one dress?"

"Heheh..." Kotori rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"I kind of mess up a lot so... Anyways, "She changed the subject, "Now that you're here, it's my turn to surprise you~"

She reached for Umi's hand and pulled her into the room and onto a pedestal, "Tada! You get to be my model for today!"

"Ehhhh?! W-what do you mean by model?" Umi protested immediately.

"Well I needed someone to model for my dress or else I won't be able to get it done in time," Kotori reasoned with her.

"W-what about your mother?!" Umi abruptly suggested.

"She's too busy working down in the salon," she shot her suggestion down quickly.

"Don't you have someone else to do this?" Umi tried her hardest to convince Kotori to find someone else.

"I do but..." Kotori gripped her chest, "I only want you, Umi!"

Umi felt a shot go through her heart as she stumbled back, "T-that's no fair if you do that, Kotori..."

Kotori giggled mischievously before continuing, "Anyways, now that that's settled, I need you to take off your clothes-"

"I'M SORRY I MUST LEAVE!" Umi made a dash for the door but was stopped by Kotori. She held onto Umi's hand and tugged back.

"I'm sorry, Umi, but it's the only way I can get accurate measurements!" she yelled.

"There has to be another way!" Umi yelled back.

"Please, Umi! I helped you with your lyrics so could you at least help me with this?!" Umi stopped her escape attempt after hearing Kotori's words.

"... I guess... it's only fair..." Umi turned back to face Kotori.

"H-how much do I have to take off...?" she said hesitantly.

"Just your shirt and pants, you can keep your underwear on," Kotori let go of Umi's hand and stepped back.

"O-okay, give me a second... and look away please," Kotori nodded and turned around as Umi requested. She listened as she heard Umi slowly unbutton her shirt and unzip her pants. Her clothes hit the ground one by one with a soft thud.

"Y-you can turn around now," Kotori turned around slowly to see Umi timidly standing in her underwear. She was trying her hardest to cover herself with her arms but she was obviously failing. Kotori smiled and reached for her measuring tape.

"This won't take too long," Kotori approached Umi slowly and got behind her. She wrapped the measuring tape around Umi's waist and carefully tightened it to get her measurements. Kotori couldn't help but take note of Umi's slender yet toned figure.

"Hey, Umi. Do you do anything other than archery?" Kotori wrote down Umi's waist measurement and moved down to her hip.

"I... uhh... I used to practice kendo a lot in high school" Umi tried to keep calm from the embarrassment as well as the cold touch of the measuring tape.

"...that explains a lot..." Kotori gulped.

"W-what do you mean by that?" Umi blushed.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing!" Kotori shook her head to help herself focus. She tightened the measuring tape around Umi's hip and wrote down the measurement.

"Okay~ Now for the fun part," Kotori said with a gleeful voice.

"F-f-fun part?"

Kotori quickly unwrapped the measuring tape and instantly wrapped it around Umi's chest, "Measuring the bust!"

"K-Kotori?!"

Umi thrashed around a bit to the sudden tightness around her chest but Kotori held on, "Just give me a second," Umi tried her best to remain calm, but her face showed her true emotions.

"And done~" Kotori unwrapped the measuring tape and Umi let out a deep breath. Kotori giggled, "Alright, now let me just measure your height and pretty much everything else and then you can put your clothes back on again"

Umi sighed and straightened up so that Kotori could finish her measurements, "Okay~" Kotori pulled out her notebook and started jotting all of her information down.

"Model: Sonoda Umi

Age: 20

Sex: Female

Bust: 76

Waist: 58

Hip: 80

Height: 159 cm

Body type: Slender, Toned... Hot"

Of course, Kotori didn't say the last detail out loud. She closed her notebook and clapped her hands together, "Okay Umi, you can get back into your clothes again."

Umi sighed, "Finally..."

She got dressed quickly, "Is there... anything else you need from me?"

Kotori shook her head, "Nope... Actually... Can you come back when I'm finished so you can try on the dress?"

Umi sighed again, "Are you sure you want me as your model? I don't think dresses really suit me…"

Kotori grabbed Umi's hands, "Don't worry about the little things, Umi. You'll love absolutely beautiful in this dress!"

She remained silent as her heart started to race, "... O-okay then. Call me when you finish it."

Umi waved back at Kotori as she left through the door. She smiled and waved back before sitting down at the sewing station and getting to work.

* * *

Umi opened the door to her apartment and threw her keys and handbag onto the counter as usual, "What a long day..." She pushed a button on the phone and proceeded to change into more comfortable clothing.

"You have one new message from Kira Tsubasa" Umi looked up while she changed.

"Hiiii Umi~ It's Tsubasa calling and I wanted to know if you are free tomorrow for lunch... Oh wait, that's right! I'm having you work at home so I should come visit and check out how things are going with the lyrics. Yeah that sounds like a good plan! Go me! I'm coming over tomorrow so make sure you're at home!"

The message cut off and played a constant beeping noise, Umi stared at the phone blankly for a moment.

"... SHE'S COMING HERE?!" she unconsciously yelled.

Umi rushed over to her fridge and opened it to check the contents, "I... I don't even have any groceries to make lunch tomorrow!"

She ran back to her dresser and changed back into the clothes she just took off. She grabbed her handbag and keys and made her way to the supermarket. An hour later, Umi returned with two bags of groceries in her arms. She set them down on the counter and let out a sigh,

"I think this should be enough until my next paycheck..." She set down her belongings and started putting the groceries away.

"Ugh I have to get out of these clothes," Umi walked over to the dresser but noticed a light flickering on the phone again.

"... If it's Tsubasa again…"

She pressed the button and started changing.

"You have one new message from Minami Kotori...

Hey Umi! It turns out that the dress is almost an exact fit for you, I should be able to finish the modifications on it tonight and it'll be ready for you to try on. I hope you don't mind but since you came to my home today, it's only fair that I get to come over to yours! I'll come over around lunch time with the dress and then you can try it on! See you tomorrow!"

Umi stood in place like a stone statue. Not only was Tsubasa coming to her apartment tomorrow, but Kotori unexpectedly invited herself too. All she could do was scream internally.

"W-what am I going to do?!"


	3. Chapter 3

Umi ran circles around her apartment the next morning, along with her surprise guests, she was struggling to get food ready and clean at the same time. Her apartment was usually very neat, but being able to work from home caused her to break out of her usual cleaning routine.

By the time she finished, her apartment was spotless and neat while a plate of sandwiches were sitting on the kitchen counter, the time was almost 11 and she needed to hurry to get ready on time for the both of them.

She grabbed a clean pair of clothes and hopped into the bath for a quick shower. After she finished there was knock on her front door, "Come in!" she yelled.

The door creaked open and a head poked through the crack, "Umi!"

Kotori was the first to arrive and she brought along the dress as well as a small box containing slices of cake she had bought from the Kousaka Bakery.

Umi smiled and welcomed the ash haired girl into her apartment. Kotori handed the box to Umi and she set it on the counter next to the sandwiches, "Please take a seat, Kotori," Umi offered her desk chair to her first guest.

Now that she realized it, she didn't even have any other chairs to sit on other than her bed, "I should have bought chairs..." she muttered to herself.

"Your apartment is so clean, Umi... Its totally the opposite of my room," Kotori laughed.

"Y-yeah, I guess so..."

"Hey! So I was thinking that after we get you to try on this dress, we can go shopping together for your cell phone!"

"That sounds like a great idea, would you like some sandwiches I've prepared?"

Kotori nodded and Umi walked over to her kitchen counter to grab two sandwiches for the two of them. A knock on the door echoed around the apartment and Umi bit onto her sandwich so she could open the door, "Umi~! I have arrived!"

Tsubasa practically forced the door open the second it budged and it caused Umi to fall backwards, "Shubasha?!" Umi mumbled in panic with the sandwich trapped between her lips.

"Oh Umi, what're you doing down there?" Tsubasa offered a helping hand and Umi took it without a second thought, "Why are you holding a sandwich? Is this for me? You shouldn't have!" she snatched the sandwich out of Umi's hand and bit down on it, "Now we mash!"

"Umi? Who's at the door?" Kotori poked her head out to see what all the fuss was about.

She grasped the sandwich and pulled it away from her mouth, "Oh, this is-"

"I thought you were single, Umi," Tsubasa called out.

"Oh no, this isn't what it looks like Tsubasa, Kotori is a friend," Umi turned her attention back to her boss.

The woman grinned in response and sharpened her eyes at Kotori who nodded along with Umi's explanation, "Hmm... Okay then..." she took another bite of the sandwich and walked in after taking off her shoes.

Umi followed behind and grabbed another sandwich for Kotori, "Here's a sandwich, Kotori."

"Thank you, Umi!" Kotori smiled and bit down on it, "Wow, this is good!"

"It's just a regular sandwich, it's not that special," Umi blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.

"It's still really yummy!" Kotori ate the sandwich happily and Umi couldn't help but smile.

"So how are the lyrics?" Tsubasa asked out of the blue.

"Oh let me get my laptop, take a seat on my bed since I don't have any chairs around," Tsubasa sat on Umi's bed like she suggested and waited for her to return with her laptop.

Once Umi plopped onto her bed, she flipped the laptop open and Tsubasa scooted in closer than Umi was used to, "Umm... Tsubasa?"

"What is it, Umi?"

"You're a little close..."

"Well I can't see the screen if I'm not,"

"I guess you're right..."

Umi pulled up the document with the lyrics on them and Tsubasa read them quietly to herself, "Hmm... Can you play the music? I want to try singing it."

"Sure."

Umi pressed play on the mp3 file and Tsubasa sang along with it. Her voice was very soothing and it matched the tone of the song extremely well, Umi and Kotori watched in awe as Tsubasa sang. She was on a different level.

After the song was over the two girls clapped for Tsubasa's performance and she bowed in response, "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week!"

"You have such a lovely voice, Tsubasa!" Kotori cheered.

"Well I don't mean to brag but… Yeah I'm pretty good," Tsubasa brushed her hair like a model and posed.

Kotori continued to clap until she gasped, "Oh! Umi, I almost forgot, you have to try on the dress!"

"Dress?" Tsubasa questioned.

Kotori stood up and pulled the dress out of the bag she brought with her, "Yeah! Hurry and try it on, Umi."

Umi blushed and grabbed the dress before sheepishly walking towards her bathroom, after a few minutes the door creaked open and she spotted two eager women waiting for her to present herself.

"Come on, Umi! Show us what your momma gave you!" Tsubasa hollered.

"Don't be shy, Umi, come on out!" Kotori beckoned.

She felt like a child hiding from her relatives that she hadn't seen in a long time. After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and shuffled childishly into the middle of the room. She listened as gasps of awe echoed around and bounced into her ear, "I look weird… Don't I?"

Umi peeked one eye open to see the two women staring with their jaws dropped, "I knew it… I DO look like an idiot!" she screamed in her head.

"Umi… Wow you look… Wow…" Kotori gawked.

"Umm… can you excuse me? I have to use the bathroom…" Tsubasa took of her hat and hastily jogged her way into Umi's bathroom. After locking the door behind her she tossed her hat on the counter and loosed up her collared shirt, "What just happened? Umi looked so…" Tsubasa stared at herself in the mirror to catch herself blushing. She touched her cheek and her eyes widened, her heart started to beat irregularly, "What is happening to me?"

Images of Umi in the dress flashed across her thoughts, "Her slender arms, her leg that poked out of the dress… and the way the dress wraps around her body!" Tsubasa felt something tug her chest and she clutched it as if it would calm the raging fire in her heart, "She was so… beautiful…"

This feeling, she had felt it before but it burned with more desire than she had ever experienced. It was the feeling of want, the desire to have something she could call hers, she wanted Umi.

"Umi! You're so pretty, oh my gosh! I expected it to look good but holy smokes! You're like a top model!" a light voice chirped.

Tsubasa broke out of her trance and pushed her ear against the door to listen in on what the two were going to converse about next.

"Y-You're just saying that to make me feel better, this dress is embarrassing…"

"What do you mean by embarrassing? You're beautiful in that dress, Umi!"

"S-stop flattering me so much, Kotori…"

"Hey can we go shopping for your phone now?"

"Now? But I have to get changed."

"There's no need to, you're already dressed!"

"But what about Tsu-"

Tsubasa took that as her queue and she walked out of the bathroom as nonchalantly as possible, "I couldn't help but overhear shopping, may I come along?"

"Umm, yeah sure, do you mind Kotori?"

Kotori flashed an expression of grimace before turning away, "I guess it's fine… Tsubasa, your collar is undone."

Tsubasa stared in confusion before looking down and seeing that she hadn't fixed herself up before leaving the bathroom, "Ahem… Sorry about that."

"Do I really have to go out with this on?"

"Yes," Kotori and Tsubasa answered in unison and they glanced at one another, approving of the answer the other gave.

* * *

The walk to the shopping district was odd, at least to Umi she thought it was. Kotori and Tsubasa were acting strange ever since she had put on the dress. The eyes of pedestrians fell upon the trio as Kotori latched onto Umi's right arm, and Tsubasa on the other.

"Umm… Can you two let go-"

"No! I have to protect you from any boys that want a piece of that jelly," Kotori cried.

"As your employer and boss, I must insure my employee's safety," Tsubasa replied.

"I can defend myself, you know?"

"Don't you have some songs to record, Tsubasa?" Kotori asked.

"No, not at all. Besides, I still have to pay Umi for her work this week. And what a better way to pay than having ME buy her cell phone?" Tsubasa barked back.

Kotori puffed her cheeks, "W-Well that doesn't change the fact that Umi and I are picking it out."

The two women glared at each other before jerking their eyes away from each other in opposite directions, "What's gotten into you two?"

"Nothing, let's head into the A-Risen Wireless store," Tsubasa replied.

Umi felt her arms getting pulled towards one of the more popular phone services in Japan, inside were a few number of customers looking for phones but it wasn't crowded which relieved Umi. An employee instantly walked up to the trio of girls and gave them the rundown on how to pick a phone and what came with one.

"Umi, get the ShyPhone! We can match!" Kotori pulled out her own cell phone which looked identical to the one displayed.

"No way! Umi you have to get a reliable one like my Cyborg!" Tsubasa pulled out her phone to match the other "popular" phone in the store.

"Girls…" Umi looked at the two phones, she didn't really need anything as fancy or famous for her to use. She wanted something durable and reliable, that's when a phone caught her eye, "I think I want this Makiya."

"What? Makiya?!" the two women questioned together.

"But Umi, those phones are like… Behind." Tsubasa mentioned.

"Yeah, don't they use the Windshield OS?" Kotori asked.

"It says here that it's the first to use the Cyborg OS," Umi answered.

Kotori glanced over to see Tsubasa with a wide grin across her face, "Well… If that's what you want, Umi."

"Let's bring it up to the front so I can pay for it," Tsubasa suggested.

Umi nodded and the trio made their way to the nearest employee to inform them of their decision. After a 10 minute activation process, Umi finally had a cell phone in her hands.

"Aaaaand since I paid for the phone, I get to be the first contact on Umi's phone!" Tsubasa attempted to snatch the phone but Kotori got to it first, "Hey!"

Kotori quickly typed in her name and number before returning the phone with an innocent smile. Tsubasa grabbed it next and entered her information in, she would have deleted Kotori's contact information, but Umi had her eyes on the screen to see how to add contacts.

After getting her phone back she held it close to her chest, "Thank you two for helping me choose a phone," Umi smiled and the two women lit up around the cheeks, "Excuse me, I have to add my Mother as a contact."

Umi turned away to enter her mother's info and Tsubasa leaned in closer to Kotori, "Look Kotori, I need you to back off of Umi."

"What? No way! I need YOU to back off of her."

"I'm her boss!"

"I'm her only friend!"

"Umm…?"

The two froze and turned their heads toward Umi, "I forgot how to add a contact already…"

The two women sighed in relief and disappointment, "We'll teach you again…"

* * *

Umi walked happily while toying around with her phone, Tsubasa and Kotori had to make sure that she wouldn't run into any people while she was preoccupied with the device.

"I should be getting home, thank you two for everything today" Umi cheered.

"No problem, you deserve it," Tsubasa replied.

"Let me walk you home!" Kotori blurted out.

Tsubasa and Kotori made eye contact and sparks flew between them, "I should make sure you get home safe too…"

"It's okay, I can get home on my own," Umi answered.

"No, I'm taking you home!" Tsubasa and Kotori grabbed onto Umi's hands and started pulling her back.

"Don't you have an album to record or something?" Kotori asked.

"Don't you have a job or something to do?" Tsubasa asked back.

The two women glared at each other during the entire trip back to Umi's home. After stepping inside, Umi offered more sandwiches while they sat around and conversed. Umi spent most of her time familiarizing herself with the newly bought phone while Kotori and Tsubasa hovered around casually.

"It's almost the evening, shouldn't you two be heading home?" Umi set down the phone and looked at her guests.

Kotori looked around nonchalantly before shrugging her shoulders, "Today was my day off so I can stay a little longer."

Umi smiled and nodded before facing Tsubasa, "Tsubasa? Don't they need you back at the studio?"

"I've got until like 4pm, don't worry about it," Tsubasa replied with the dismissal of her hand.

"But it's 3:30 and way past lunch time," Umi pointed towards her wall clock.

Tsubasa practically jumped after seeing the time, "Oh jeez! I have to hurry back before Dad finds out what I'm doing!" Tsubasa quickly dug into her purse for an envelope, "Here's your check for the week, don't forget to email me the lyrics."

Umi grabbed the envelope and watched Tsubasa scurry out of the apartment almost as quickly as she came in earlier today, "Well… it sure has gotten quieter already," Kotori commented.

"You should probably leave soon too before it gets too dark out," Umi suggested.

Kotori frowned before giving an answer, "And what if I don't want to leave? What will you do then?"

"Umm…"

"Will you walk me home and protect me from the dangers of the night? Or maybe let me spend the night here?" Kotori asked.

"It's only 3:30, Kotori…" Umi rubbed the back of her head. The girl was obviously going to get what she wants, one way or another, "Fine… Let's just watch some videos on my laptop and finish the sandwiches."

Kotori smiled and nodded, "Sure!"

Umi brought over the plate of sandwiches and held onto them before taking a seat and turning on her laptop, "Oh I know what we should watch!" Kotori announced.

"Hmm?"

"Here, let me sign on to Nestflix, there's this web series that I've been wanting to watch and I think you might like it," Kotori pulled the laptop to face her and began typing in what was needed.

After a few minutes, Kotori was able to pull up and episode of the show and the two girls sat back and watched it together. They snacked on the sandwiches and laughed at the funny moments of the show together.

"Can we watch another one?" Umi asked.

Kotori smiled and clicked on the next episode. Before they could realize it, it was already 8pm, "Oh shoot, I got distracted with the show."

Kotori giggled, "Yeah, sometimes watching shows online makes time fly by so quickly."

Umi looked at Kotori and back at the clock, "Umm… shoot… are you tired?" Umi asked.

"A little, I guess," Kotori replied.

"Can I walk you home?" Umi offered.

"Hmm… I kind of want to stay the night," Kotori said bluntly.

Umi blushed, "I-I don't exactly have any extra pillows or futons…"

"We can sleep on your bed," Kotori suggested.

"W-What?! No way!" Umi objected.

"But I'm sooooo tired, Umiiiii," Kotoro dragged.

Umi knew what Kotori was trying to do, and she had no idea what to do about it, "U-Umm…"

"Pleeease Umi? If I go out by myself I might get attacked," Kotori reasoned.

"I offered to walk you home though," Umi reasoned back.

"You obviously haven't seen how bad it can get at night..." Kotori replied. It was a lie.

"R-Really? Then I guess there's no choice…" Umi hung her head and cleared her throat, "U-Umm… You can sleep on my bed and I'll just lay down on the floor."

"What? No way! You'll get sick without a blanket or pillows!" Kotori objected.

"T-Then…"

"Let's just sleep on your bed together," Kotori suggested again. Umi blushed and reluctantly nodded.

"Plus, we can lay down and keep watching the show too!" Kotori added. That seemed to make Umi smile a little.

"Let me go get changed for bed, I don't like sleeping in clothes like this," Umi stood up and grabbed a change of clothes before heading to the bathroom.

Once the door shut, Kotori cheered to herself, "Yes! This will definitely put me ahead of Tsubasa!" She stood up and dove onto Umi's bed, it was a lot smaller than it looked, but at least it was comfortable. Kotori buried her face into Umi's pillow and took a whiff of it, "It smells nice, just like her…"

The bathroom door creaked open and Kotori sat up quickly on her bed. Umi walked out wearing a loose crop top and athletic shorts that covered all of the important parts of her body.

"Hmm? Is something wrong, Kotori?"

Kotori didn't even notice herself staring at Umi's exposed skin, especially her well toned stomach and her legs, "N-Nothing! Just spacing out…" Kotori darted her eyes away to keep herself from staring too long.

"How's the bed? It's a little… small isn't it?"

"It should be fine as long as we lay on our sides, that way we won't bump each other off," Kotori suggested.

Umi blushed, "W-Well can you move over a bit?"

"Going to sleep already?" Kotori asked.

"I like to sleep early so I can wake up and get my workout done," Umi answered.

"Aww, I wanted to watch some more episode with you," Kotori pleaded.

Umi blushed again, "W-Well… I guess I can squeeze another episode or two in…"

Kotori clapped and smiled, "Great, let's get started then!" She quickly laid back into Umi's bed and pat the spot next to her causing the blue haired girl to blush even more in response.

Umi grabbed her laptop and reluctantly climbed into bed, turning her back away from Kotori and continuing with the show. She felt Kotori lean on her back and her head resting on top of her arm, they looked like a new couple.

"Umm… Kotori…?"

"What's wrong?"

"You're a little close…"

"I can't see the screen if I don't get close though," She responded.

Umi blushed and decided to tough it out until she started to doze off. After an episode she had already passed out.

"Umi? Umi are you awake?" Kotori lifted herself up to pause the episode before looking down at Umi's sleeping face, "She's so pretty, even when she's sleeping…"

"Umi… are you asleep?" Kotori poked Umi's cheek and got a short but cute response from her. Kotori giggled before she started blushing, "Would it be wrong for me to kiss her right now?"

Kotori leaned back and pulled on Umi's shoulder to get her to lay on her back. Once she was settled, Kotori brought her face closer to Umi's. She couldn't tell if her cheeks were hot because of her blushing, or because of Umi's breath.

"Just… go for it, Kotori…" she whispered to herself. She gently grasped Umi's chin with her fingers, she couldn't help but press her finger against Umi's lips. They were rosy, soft and every passing second they became more and more alluring to her.

Kotori closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her lips against Umi's as gently as she could. Heat surged from her lips to her entire body, her face burned as her blush grew redder in color. Umi's lips were soft and they had a sweet taste to them, Kotori wanted to keep their lips locked just a little longer.

Kotori reached down and rubbed her hand against Umi's stomach. Ever since she saw it for the first time, she had been dying to get a feel for them. They were toned and had a great shape to them that felt good to touch.

"I wish this could last forever… at least for tonight…" Kotori separated her lips from Umi before kissing her once again. She had no idea how much time had passed before she fell asleep, but it was worth it.

* * *

Umi awoke the next morning and looked down to see Kotori's head rested on top of her chest. She blushed and jumped in her spot when she heard a knock on the door.

"Uh… Coming!" she called out in response.

She looked down at Kotori, it looked like she would be waking up any time soon since she didn't react to Umi calling out just a second ago. She moved out from underneath Kotori carefully and answered the door, "Who is it?"

The door swung open after she released the lock and Tsubasa strutted her way in, "Good morning Umi-" Tsubasa stopped in the middle of her sentence after seeing Umi in her sleepwear, "Why hello…"

Umi blushed the moment she realized she wasn't dressed, "U-Umm will you excuse me?!" and rushed to the bathroom quickly, leaving Tsubasa alone in the room.

Tsubasa set down her bag and unconsciously licked her lips, "Good god, she's perfect…" Tsubasa stepped in and stood in front of the bathroom door, "I'll do it, I'll make her mine today."

Tsubasa waited until she heard the door unlock, "I'm coming in," and pushed on the door. Umi was pushed back into the bathroom and Tsubasa closed the door behind her.

"T-Tsubasa?!"

Tsubasa pushed Umi against the wall and placed a finger over her lips, "I haven't been able to get you off my mind ever since I saw you in that dress yesterday."

"A-and?"

"I'm saying that I'm interested in you," Tsubasa replied.

"I-interested in me?! B-but why?!"

Tsubasa pressed her finger against Umi's lips again and leaned in closer, "Your hair is pretty, your face is beautiful, and your body is sexy. I can't resist."

"H-Huh?"

Tsubasa smiled mischievously and suddenly pressed her lips against Umi's, catching the girl off guard. Tsubasa opened her eyes to see the girl's reaction. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shut so tightly that her face scrunched up in a very cute way.

"T-Tsubasa, please sto-"

"No~" Tsubasa kept their lips locked together for a little longer before backing away for a few seconds, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend? B-but I don't think I'm ready for a relationship," Umi replied.

"You don't have to be ready, I'll give you everything you could ever want," Tsubasa reasoned.

"B-But…"

"Even if you don't like me yet, give me a chance," Tsubasa insisted.

"W-Well… I… guess if you're okay with someone like me…" Umi answered.

"Its official then! You and I are now girlfriends!" Tsubasa announced.

Umi blushed and escaped from Tsubasa to open the door, "What happens now?"

"Hmm, how about I take you on a date today!" Tsubasa suggested.

Umi blushed again, "S-Sure, just let me actually get read-" She stepped out and noticed that her bed was empty,

Kotori was gone.


End file.
